Hook adapter for carrier bag handle



May 19, 1970 s, KAMINS E 3,512,701

' HOOK ADAPTER FOR CARRIER BAG HANDLE Filed Aug. 5, 1968 FIG. 3.

INVENTORS Sey me ur Kdmins Norman Rosenberg B W I i ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,512,701 Patented May 19, 1970 U.S. Cl. 229-54 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A hook-shaped adapter for snapping onto the outwardly extending bow portion of the handle for a reusable carrier bag, thereby permitting the handle to be hung from a supporting rod or the like for display.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Within the past several years, reusable, thermoplastic may not wish to display the goods in question from a rod or other store structure, but may instead wish to place the goods on a counter or the like. For this reason, it becomes desirable to provide a construction wherein the bag is sold in the form in which it is most acceptable to the ultimate consumer, i.e., with a handle, but with means for permitting low-cost, convenient conversion to adapt the bag with a hook which may then be readily accomplished by the retailer in the event that he desires to display the goods in question from a handle or other equivalent store fixture.

It is, therefore, contemplated by the present invention to provide an accessory hook structure, which is of sim ple, low-cost construction, and which may be readily snapped onto the outwardly extending bow portion of the carrier bag handle, so as to provide a hook thereon which readily permits the hanging of the bag from a rod or the carrier bags of the type disclosed and claimed, for eXample, in Laguerre Pat. Nos. 3,140,038 and 3,227,358, have come into widespread use throughout the world. Such bags comprise a carrying portion formed of a thin-film thermoplastic material which is heat-sealed or otherwise secured to a carrying means which generally comprises tions are brought together in overlying relationship, the

two bow portions overlie each other exactly to form a handle by which the user of the bag can readily carry the bag and its contents. Preferably, the two opposing strip portions and/or laterally extending bow portions have one or more stud and recess combinations formed thereon to permit securing the two together in a releasable coupling manner.

Bags of the type just described, although ideally suited for carrying by the ultimate consumer, are not ideally suited for storage in a retail establishment, since the enclosed hand-grip portion precludes hanging the bags from display racks or rods or the like. To overcome this, carrying means have been devised, as disclosed, for example, in the copending application of Kamins et al., Ser. No. 666,245 to provide a hook construction, as opposed to an enclosed handle-type construction. Although such an arrangement facilitates the display of bags from rods or other store fixtures, such construction is not as suitable for continued reuse of the bag by the ultimate consumer, since such bags are not as convenient to carry. To overcome this disadvantage, there is disclosed in the copending applicataion of Schmidt et al., Ser. No. 740,681 filed June 27, 1968, a type of construction wherein the carrying means comprises a combined handle and hook structure, with the hook formed integrally with the handle, but capable of being torn away along a repturable tear line. In this Way, it is possible for bags to be properly displayed in a store by being hung from various types of store fixtures, but at the same time such construction makes possible the removal of the book when the item is sold, so that the ultimate consumer can thereafter readily make use of the bag as a carrying device.

The type of combined hook and handle structure as described, although having several significant advantages, does have the disadvantage of reducing flexibility of operation insofar as the retailer is concerned. Thus, when the retailer purchases goods packaged in carrier bags of this type, having the combined hook and handle, he must pay the extra cost involved in having the hook as well as the handle, even though, in some instances, the retailer like. The type of construction disclosed and claimed herein is of particular advantage in that the snap-on typeof construction tends to prevent a too-easy separation of the adapter element from the bag handle, so that bags cannot readily be separated from the adapter and fall to the floor. Also, another advantage of this type of arrangement is that in those instances where the retailer retains the adapter element instead of allowing it to be sold with the bag and the goods therein, this greatly facilitates the keeping of inventory control, since each hook adapter may readily be marked or coated in such a way as to keep account of the number and type of goods sold. On the other hand, where the retailer allows the hook adapter to remain on the bag handle, this provides an added attraction to the ultimate consumer who may then optionally hang the bag and its contents from a rod or the like at home.

As opposed to those types of construction wherein the fastening means does not comprise an open hook, but instead provides an enclosed aperture, the present construction has a significant advantage in that the bag, by means of its adapter, may be readily secured to and removed from a rod. In those instances Where an enclosed aperture is provided, it is first necessary to detach the rod from its fasteners at one or both ends in order that the adapter can be removed or added to those already on the rod, but it is readily apparent that this is not required with the construction of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In describing the invention, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the hook adapter of the present invention snapped onto a handle of a typical carrier bag;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the hook adapter of FIG. 1 snapped in place upon the bow portion forming the handle shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As shown on FIGS. 13, the hook adapter of the present invention comprises, a generally U-shaped portion 10 having a width between the opposing inner walls of such magnitude as to fit securely about the mated bow portions 11 and 11a which together form the carrying handle of the bag 12. Preferably, the U-shaped portion 10 is pro vided with inwardly extending ridges or projections 13 and '14 as shown in FIG. 3, which tend to prevent ready removal of the hook adapter from the bag handle portions 11 and 11a which it surrounds. Thus, the hook adapter is preferably formed of a relatively flexible material such as polyethylene or the like, which permits the opposing walls of the U-shaped portion to be forced apart and thereby provide a sufiicient aperture between the inwardly extending projections 13 and 14 so as to permit removal of the portions 11 and 11a of the handle.

Extending upwardly from one of the leg portions of the U-shaped member 10 is a hook-shaped portion 15, which extends upwardly and then downwardly at 16, so as to define a generally central aperture 17 to which admittance is gained through the relatively narrow aperture 18. The resultant construction readily permits the hook adapter to be hung from a rod or the like so as to support both itself and the attached bag 12. The bag 12 to which the hook adapter is intended to be secured is of the type disclosed in one or more of the aforesaid Laguerre patents, and comprises two generally congruent elongate strip portions 17, 17a, which may be integrally joined at their end por tions 18 and 18a. Stud and recess combinations are indicated at 19 and 19a for detachably securing together the two portions 17 and 17a. When so secured, the integrally formed handle portions 11 and 11a overlie each other substantially exactly so as to form a carrying means for the bag.

What we claim is:

1. A hook element adapted to be attachably secured to the laterally extending bow portion of the handle of a carrier bag comprising,

a U-shaped portion having a spacing between the legs thereof which substantially equals the thickness of said how portion,

a hook-shaped portion extending upwardly from one of the legs of said U-shaped portion,

and means for securing said U-shaped portion releasably to the bow portion of said handle,

said last-named means comprising at least one projection on a leg of said U-shaped portion which extends partially toward the opposite leg to thereby provide a restrictive access of the bow portion of the handle to the interior of said U-shaped portion,

said element facilitating the hanging of the bag from a rod or the like when secured to said bow portion of the bag handle but facilitating the hand carrying of the bag when said element is removed.

2. The hook element of claim 1 in which said element is formed of a flexible material.

3. The hook element of claim 1 in which said hookshaped portion is generally planar and is also coplanar with said one leg.

4. In combination, a carrier bag comprising thermoplastic bag walls and a pair of generally congruent handle members each respectively secured to one of the bag walls at the mouth of the bag, said two handle members each defining mutually engaging fastener means arranged to permit said handle members to be detachably secured in an overlying relationship, said handle members in said overlying relationship defining overlying elongate members for attachment to the respective bag walls and having outwardly extending bow portions forming a hand hold, a separate hook element adapted to be releasably secured to said overlying bow portions and comprising a U-shaped portion adapted to partially surround the juxtaposed bow portions of said handle members when in said overlying relationship, a projection on the inner side of at least one leg of said U-shaped portion to define a restricted access to the interior of the U-shaped portion, and a hook portion extending laterally from one of the legs of said U-shaped portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 163,469 5/1951 Moody 24199 X 3,132,742 5/1964 Shapiro et al 22954 3,310,224 3/1967 Laguerre 22954 3,348,761 10/1967 Vetter 22954 1,246,530 11/1917 Bird.

DAVID M. BOCKENEK, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. l2 

